In the room, the little prince Dominique Royal finally turned to look at Jasper.
Dominique’s appearance was pleasing to the eye. His facial features leaned more to the feminine side, and despite being a man, he gave off a distinct charm.
This was especially true for the delicate shape of his eyes under his defined brows. The man’s gaze lit up with an unforgettable shine.
While Jasper looked Dominique over, Dominique did the same to him.
The two equally young men observed each other quietly for two whole minutes without saying anything.
The ballet performance did not stop and the sounds of the piano flowed slowly like trickling water in the room.
Dominique eventually smiled.
“Have a seat.”
Dominique gestured to the seat opposite him with his palm.
Jasper walked up to take a seat.
Dominique’s gaze flickered back to the ballet performance on stage and said, “It’s a refreshing idea to hear an argument in favor of the future, Jasper.”
Jasper replied, “Your vision is unique as well, little prince. Not many so young prefer antiques and history.”
Dominique chuckled and replied slowly, “I had cooked up many ways of talking to you before we met, Jasper. But after seeing you, I realize that all those methods and tactics are useless.”
“So, I’ll be frank. I want to protect the Gardner family!”
Jasper nodded and replied, “Indeed. I do like it when things are more straightforward. In that case, I’ll be frank too and tell you and I want to get rid of the Gardner family.”
Dominique was neither angry nor frustrated when he heard Jasper say this, as if he had already anticipated this.
The man’s gaze was deep and he showed no sign of the terror rumored outside. It was almost as if he was just a normal gentle scholar.
“I’ve researched you before this, Jasper. And all this while your performance has been exceptional. To be frank, I don’t think anyone can do any better than you did. Especially as an entrepreneur from a normal, or even poor, family.”
“From what I understand, I believe that you are a businessman through and through, Jasper. As a businessman, what matters most to you are your interests. You know that I wish to protect the Gardner family, yet you seem adamant about getting involved in this. This doesn’t seem to follow your motto of what benefits you most.”
Jasper’s gaze also fell on the graceful ballerinas before him. The two men resembled good friends that were currently enjoying art together.
“There are short-term and long- term interests. In the long-term, maintaining a good relationship with you is indeed beneficial, Little Prince. But in terms of immediate interests, the Gardner family’s existence is an obstacle to my plan.”
“More importantly, I don’t know what relationship you and Norman share, Little Prince. But if Norman’s able to ask you to step up and protect him, then it must mean that he must serve some unique purpose to you. I also can’t guarantee that Norman won’t request you to target me, Little Prince.”
“So even if I give up on my plan of getting rid of the Gardner family, there’s still the risk of me butting heads with you in the future, Little Prince.”
“But if I continue on my quest of eradicating them, at least I’ll be able to guarantee my current interests.”
Dominique nodded after hearing Jasper’s calm statement and said, “Very well. Not bad, Jasper. There are no flaws in your judgment.”
Dominique reached out and took out a bottle of red wine as he spoke, pouring Jasper a glass.
Then, he swirled the glass of red wine with a playful smile and toasted Jasper. “This bottle of wine is part of my family collection.
“It was processed during Princess Diana’s fiftieth birthday by the British royal family sixty years ago. Excluding the one in the Royal Treasury Museum, this is the only bottle in the entire world. Let’s celebrate our acquaintance with this bottle today.”
Jasper raised his glass and the two transparent glasses clinked against each other with a clear sound.
Jasper tilted his head back to drink the wine. It was slightly bitter with a sweet aftertaste while its aroma was full-bodied and mellow. It was a high-grade red wine.
“It’s good,” Jasper praised.
Dominique chuckled and clapped his hands.
The music stopped, and the ballet dancers and the pianist got up to leave the stage. At the same time, from the dark area from which they exited the area walked out a shaky father and daughter.
These two were precisely Norman and Lisa.
